BACKGROUND
[0001] The described aspects relate generally to wireless communication systems. More particularly,
the described aspects relate to techniques for uplink transmission management in wireless
communications.
[0002] Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication
content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These
systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple
users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power).
Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA)
systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple
access (FDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA)
systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems,
and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.
[0003] These multiple-access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication
standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to
communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example
telecommunication standard is Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a set of enhancements
to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated
by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE is designed to support mobile
broadband access through improved spectral efficiency, lowered costs, and improved
services using OFDMA on the downlink, SC-FDMA on the uplink, and multiple-input multiple-output
(MIMO) antenna technology. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues
to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. These
cause delays in uplink transmissions are related to the use of hybrid automatic repeat
request (HARQ) operations.
[0004] Therefore, there is a need to provide mechanisms for uplink transmission management
that are suitable for wireless communications in an unlicensed or shared spectrum.
WO 2012/078565 A1 discloses methods to enable wireless cellular operation in unlicensed and licensed
(collectively referred to as license exempt spectrum). Wireless devices may use licensed
exempt spectrum as new bands in addition to the existing bands to transmit to a wireless
transmit/receive unit (WTRU) in the downlink direction, or to a base station in the
uplink direction. The wireless devices may access license exempt spectrum for bandwidth
aggregation or relaying using a carrier aggregation framework. In particular, a primary
component carrier operating in a licensed spectrum is used for control and connection
establishment and a second component carrier operating in a licensed exempt spectrum
is used for bandwidth extension
The document "
Discussion on UL grant for LAA" by ETRI, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 meeting #80bis, discloses that carrier sensing should be performed by UEs before UL transmission.
SUMMARY
[0005] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide
a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of
all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements
of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is
to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude
to the more detailed description that is presented later.
[0006] The present disclosure presents examples of techniques for configuring a window size.
In an aspect of the disclosure, an example method for managing uplink transmissions
is disclosed, according to independent claim 1. Further embodiments comprise a computer-program,
according to independent claim 7 and a User Equipment, according to independent claim
8.
[0007] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects
comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in
the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail
certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The disclosed aspects will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended
drawings, provided to illustrate and not to limit the disclosed aspects, wherein like
designations denote like elements, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system in
which uplink transmission management may be performed;
FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of components of the wireless communication
system for uplink grant and transmission management;
FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of components of a network entity (e.g.,
base station or access point) in the wireless communication system for uplink grant
management;
FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of components of a mobile device (e.g.,
user equipment) in the wireless communication system for uplink transmission management;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of sub-components of the wireless communication
system for uplink transmission management;
FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of conventional operations regarding
uplink transmissions;
FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating another example of conventional operations regarding
uplink transmissions;
FIG. 5A, is a diagram illustrating an example of operations of uplink transmission
management;
FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating another example of operations of uplink transmission
management;
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating yet another example of operations of uplink transmission
management;
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uplink transmission
management in an LAA system;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of another method for uplink transmission
management in an LAA system;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of yet another method for uplink transmission
management in an LAA system;
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus
employing a processing system; and
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network entity (e.g., a base station
or an access point) in communication with a UE in a telecommunication system having
aspects configured for uplink transmission management.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings
is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent
the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The
detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough
understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in
the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some
instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in
order to avoid obscuring such concepts.
[0010] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference
to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in
the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by
various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred
to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer
software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware
or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed
on the overall system.
[0011] By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of
elements may be implemented as a "processing system" that includes one or more processors.
Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing
units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal
processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on
a chip (SoC), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable
logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and
other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described
throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system may execute
software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets,
code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications,
software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables,
threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software,
firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.
[0012] Various aspects are now described with reference to the drawings. In the following
description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth
in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. It may be evident,
however, that such aspect(s) may be practiced without these specific details.
[0013] As discussed above, congestion on the traditional licensed band (e.g., 2.4 GHz band)
has motivated network operators to offload wireless wide area network (WWAN) traffic
to the unlicensed or shared spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz band) in order to meet the ever-growing
bandwidth demands. In LTE systems over unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) or LAA systems,
uplink transmissions from a UE to a network entity (e.g., eNodeB) are subject to listen-before-talk
(LBT) principle. In an aspect, the UE may have to perform a channel check before transmitting
data on the uplink channel. When the channel check fails, unnecessary delays may occur
since the UE may have to wait for a subsequent uplink grant for transmitting the data.
In some other examples, the data transmitted on the uplink data may be out of order.
[0014] Thus, in one aspect, a network entity may be configured to include, indicate, or
specify one or more implicit uplink grants in an explicit uplink grant. That is, when
a UE receives the explicit uplink grant and a first channel check fails, the UE may
perform another channel check as if the UE received more than one explicit uplink
grant. As referenced herein, a channel check may refer to an operation to determine
if a channel is available for transmitting data. As such, the UE may not have to wait
for the network entity to transmit another explicit uplink grant several time slots
later that may cause delays in uplink transmissions. Further, in another aspect, when
the UE receives the explicit uplink grant with the implicit uplink grants includes
therein, the UE may be configured to transmit one or more copies of the data (e.g.,
transmit copies with different redundancy information) on the uplink such that the
delay caused by possible retransmission may be mitigated.
[0015] In another aspect, when a first data unit, such as a protocol data unit (PDU) is
blocked from being transmitted (e.g., transmission of the PDU does not occur) due
to a failed channel check, the UE may be configured to transmit the first PDU when
the UE receives a subsequent uplink grant for a second PDU. As such, a first PDU in
time may be transmitted before other PDUs.
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 in which techniques
for uplink transmission management may be performed in accordance with various aspects
of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 includes base stations
105, small cell access points (AP) 120, mobile devices 115, and a core network 130.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station 105 may be referred to
as a macro cell base station, and AP 120 may be referred to as small cell base station.
The base station 105 and the AP 120 may be generally referred to as network entities
as they are configured to provide network access to the mobile devices 115. One or
more mobile devices 115 may include an uplink transmission manager component 201 configured
to manage uplink transmissions, as described further herein. On the other side, one
or more network entities (base stations 105 by way of example) may include an uplink
grant manager component 211 configured to generate or manage explicit uplink grant,
or implicit uplink grant, or both. The core network 130 may provide user authentication,
access authorization, tracking, internet protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access,
routing, or mobility functions. The base stations 105 may interface with the core
network 130 through backhaul links 132 (e.g., S1, etc.). The base stations 105 and
AP 120 may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the mobile
devices 115, or may operate under the control of a base station controller (not shown).
In various examples, the base station 105 and AP 120 may communicate, either directly
or indirectly (e.g., through core network 130), with each other over backhaul links
134 (e.g., X2, Over-the-air (OTA) etc.), which may be wired or wireless communication
links. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station 105 and AP 120
may share their respective timing parameters associated with communication scheduling.
[0017] The base station 105 and AP 120 may wirelessly communicate with the mobile device
115 via one or more antennas. Each of the base station 105 and AP 120 may provide
communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In some examples,
base station 105 may be referred to as a base transceiver station, a radio base station,
an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB,
or some other suitable terminology. The geographic coverage area 110-a for a base
station 105 and coverage area 110-b for AP 120 may be divided into sectors making
up only a portion of the coverage area (not shown). The wireless communications system
100 may include base station 105 and AP 120 of different types (e.g., macro or small
cell base stations). There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 for different
technologies.
[0018] While the mobile devices 115 may communicate with each other through the base station
105 and AP 120 using communication links 125, each mobile device 115 may also communicate
directly with one or more other mobile devices 115 via a direct wireless link 135.
Two or more mobile devices 115 may communicate via a direct wireless link 135 when
both mobile devices 115 are in the geographic coverage area 110 or when one or more
mobile devices 115 are within the AP geographic coverage area 110-b. Examples of direct
wireless link 135 may include Wi-Fi Direct connections, connections established using
a Wi-Fi Tunneled Direct Link Setup (TDLS) link, and other P2P group connections. In
other implementations, other peer-to-peer connections or ad hoc networks may be implemented
within the wireless communications system 100.
[0019] In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 includes a wireless wide
area network (WWAN) such as an LTE/LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. WWAN technologies
such as LTE or LTE-A may be adapted for operation over an unlicensed or shared spectrum.
In LTE/LTE-A networks, the term evolved node B (eNB) may be generally used to describe
the base stations 105, while the term user equipment (UEs) or wireless devices may
be generally used to describe the mobile devices 115. The wireless communications
system 100 may include a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A network in which different types
of eNBs provide coverage for various geographical regions. The wireless communications
system 100 may also support eCC operations, which may use listen-before-talk (LBT)
like LTE over unlicensed spectrum, but may have a different numerology than LTE over
unlicensed spectrum.
[0020] The wireless communications system 100 may, in some examples, also support a wireless
local area network (WLAN). A WLAN may be a network employing techniques based on the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11x family of standards
("Wi-Fi"). In some examples, each eNB or base station 105 and AP 120 may provide communication
coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or other types of cell. The term "cell" is
a 3GPP term that may be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier
associated with a base station, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier
or base station, depending on context.
[0021] A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers
in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by mobile device 115 with service subscriptions
with the network provider. A small cell is a lower-powered base station, as compared
with a macro cell, that may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed,
etc.) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may include pico cells, femto cells,
and micro cells according to various examples. A pico cell, for example, may cover
a small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by mobile device 115 with
service subscriptions with the network provider. A femto cell may also cover a small
geographic area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted access by mobile device
115 having an association with the femto cell (e.g., mobile device 115 in a closed
subscriber group (CSG), mobile device 115 for users in the home, and the like). An
eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may
be referred to as a small cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB, or a home eNB. An eNB
may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells (e.g., component
carriers). In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station 105 may be
referred to as a macro cell base station, and AP 120 may be referred to as small cell
base station.
[0022] The wireless communications system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation.
For synchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have similar frame timing, and
transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time.
For asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timing,
and transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be aligned in time. The
techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operations.
[0023] The communication networks that may accommodate some of the various disclosed examples
may be packet-based networks that operate according to a layered protocol stack. In
the user plane, communications at the bearer or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)
layer may be IP-based. A radio link control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation
and reassembly to communicate over logical channels. A medium access control (MAC)
layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport
channels. The MAC layer may also use hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) to provide
retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane,
the radio resource control (RRC) protocol layer may provide establishment, configuration,
and maintenance of an RRC connection between a mobile device 115 and the base stations
105. The RRC protocol layer may also be used for core network 130 support of radio
bearers for the user plane data. At the physical (PHY) layer, the transport channels
may be mapped to physical channels.
[0024] The mobile devices 115 may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system
100, and each mobile device 115 may be stationary or mobile. A mobile device 115 may
also include or be referred to by those skilled in the art as a user equipment (UE),
mobile station, a subscriber station, STA, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless
unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications
device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile
terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile
client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A mobile device 115 may be a
cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication
device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone,
a wireless local loop (WLL) station, or the like. A mobile device may be able to communicate
with various types of base stations and network equipment including macro eNBs, small
cell eNBs, relay base stations, and the like. In some examples, a dual-radio UE 115-a,
may include a WLAN radio (not shown) and a WWAN radio (not shown) that may be configured
to concurrently communicate with base station 105 (using the WWAN radio) and with
AP 120 (using the WLAN radio).
[0025] The communication links 125 shown in wireless communications system 100 may include
uplink (UL) transmissions from a mobile device 115 to a base station 105 or AP 120,
or downlink (DL) transmissions, from a base station 105 or AP 120 to a mobile device
115. The downlink transmissions may also be called forward link transmissions while
the uplink transmissions may also be called reverse link transmissions. Each communication
links 125 may include one or more carriers, where each carrier may be a signal made
up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies) modulated
according to the various radio technologies described above. Each modulated signal
may be sent on a different sub-carrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference
signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, user data, etc. The communication
links 125 may transmit bidirectional communications using frequency division duplex
(FDD) (e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or time division duplex (TDD) operation
(e.g., using unpaired spectrum resources). Frame structures may be defined for FDD
(e.g., frame structure type 1) and TDD (e.g., frame structure type 2).
[0026] The communication links 125 may utilize resources of licensed spectrum or unlicensed
spectrum, or both. Broadly speaking, the unlicensed spectrum in some jurisdictions
may range from 600 Megahertz (MHz) to 6 Gigahertz (GHz), but need not be limited to
that range. As used herein, the term "unlicensed spectrum" or "shared spectrum" may
thus refer to industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands, irrespective of
the frequency of those bands. An "unlicensed spectrum" or "shared spectrum" may refer
to a spectrum used in a contention-based communications system. In addition, the term
"licensed spectrum" or "cellular spectrum" may be used herein to refer to wireless
spectrum utilized by wireless network operators under administrative license from
a governing agency.
[0027] Wireless communications system 100 may also support operation on multiple cells or
carriers, a feature which may be referred to as carrier aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier
operation. A carrier may also be referred to as a component carrier (CC), a layer,
a channel, etc. The terms "carrier," "component carrier," "cell," and "channel" may
be used interchangeably herein. A mobile device 115 may be configured with multiple
downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs for carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation
may be used with both FDD and TDD component carriers.
[0028] FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating example components of the wireless communication
system for uplink grant and transmission management. As depicted, UE 115 may be in
communication with a network entity 220 associated with core network 130 via a primary
cell 205 and/or an LAA secondary cell 203. In some examples, network entity 220 may
be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station, an access point, a radio
transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable
terminology. In some aspects, primary cell 205 may refer to connectivity services
provided in a licensed spectrum and LAA secondary cell 203 may refer to connectivity
services provided in an unlicensed spectrum. UE 115 may receive signaling, including
uplink grants, via primary cell 205 and transmit data (e.g., PDUs) via LAA secondary
cell 203.
[0029] Further, UE 115 may be configured to execute an uplink transmission manager component
201 that includes a grant receiver 202, a channel examiner 204, a data transmitter
206, a buffer manager 208, and a transmission determiner 210. Network entity 220 may
be configured to execute an uplink grant manager component 211 to generate an explicit
uplink grant 212 and at least one implicit uplink grant 214.
[0030] In one aspect, uplink grant manager component 211 may generate explicit uplink grant
212 that indicates, when received by UE 115, UE 115 is authorized to transmit an amount
of data on the uplink. Explicit uplink grant 212 may also include a maximum size of
the data authorized to transmit on the uplink. In addition to generating explicit
uplink grant 212, uplink grant manage process 211 may further include, or otherwise
indicate, one or more implicit uplink grants 214 in explicit uplink grant 212. In
other words, each of the implicit uplink grants 214 may authorize UE 115 to transmit
the amount of data on the uplink. Uplink grant manager component 211 may determine
a count of implicit uplink grants 214 based on factors including a total number of
UEs within the coverage of wireless communications system 100.
[0031] In another aspect, when explicit uplink grant 212 is received by grant receiver 202
of UE 115 at a time slot n via primary cell 205, channel examiner 204 may perform
a channel check prior to transmitting the data on the uplink channel. If the channel
check succeeds, i.e., an uplink channel is available for transmitting the data, data
transmitter 206 may transmit the data on the uplink channel via LAA secondary cell
203. If the channel check fails, i.e., the uplink channel is not available for transmitting
the data, buffer manager 208 may store the data, e.g., a first PDU, in a HARQ buffer
associated with a HARQ process, e.g., HARQ buffer 207. Further, transmission determiner
210 may determine which data should be transmitted if one or more PDUs have been stored
in the HARQ buffer due to previous failed channel checks. Such determination may be
performed based on one or more factors further described in FIG. 3. In addition, other
aspects of the components of network entity 220 and UE 115 are described in details
in accordance with FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C, respectively.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 2B, in an aspect, a network entity 220 (e.g., a base station or
an access point) associated with core network 130 may be in communication with UE
115 via a primary cell 205 and/or an LAA secondary cell 203. In some aspects, primary
cell 205 may refer to connectivity services provided in a licensed spectrum and LAA
secondary cell 203 may refer to connectivity services provided in an unlicensed spectrum.
Network entity 220 may transmit signaling, including uplink grants, via primary cell
205 and receive data (e.g., PDUs) via LAA secondary cell 203.
[0033] In an aspect, network entity 220 may include one or more antennas 222, RF front end
224 and transceiver 226 for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, including,
for example, the described signaling messages and also any messages corresponding
to uplink grant and/or uplink transmission management. RF front end 224 may be connected
to the one or more antennas 222. RF front end 224 may include, for example, one or
more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) (not shown), one or more switches (not shown), one
or more power amplifiers (PAs) (not shown), and one or more filters (not shown) for
transmitting and receiving RF signals on the uplink channels and downlink channels.
RF front end 224 is merely an example configuration; in an aspect, other configurations
for RF front end 224 may be used by network entity 220. In an aspect, components of
RF front end 224 may connect with transceiver 226. Transceiver 226 may connect to
one or more processor 230.
[0034] In another aspect, network entity 220 may include one or more processors 230 that
may operate in combination with uplink grant manager component 211, which may generate
an explicit uplink grant 212 and/or at least one implicit uplink grant 214, for uplink
grant and/or uplink transmission management as described herein. In an aspect, the
one or more processors 230 may include a modem 232 that uses one or more modem processors.
In another aspect, the one or more processors 230 may be communicatively coupled to
at least a memory 228, wherein the memory 228 may be configured to store instructions
for handling uplink grant and/or uplink transmission management.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 2C, in an aspect, an UE 115 may be in communication with a network
entity 220 associated with core network 130 via a primary cell 205 and/or an LAA secondary
cell 203. In some aspects, primary cell 205 may refer to connectivity services provided
in a licensed spectrum and LAA secondary cell 203 may refer to connectivity services
provided in an unlicensed spectrum. UE 115 may receive signaling, including uplink
grants, via primary cell 205, and transmit data (e.g., PDUs) via LAA secondary cell
203.
[0036] In an aspect, UE 115 may include RF front end 223 and transceiver 237 for receiving
and transmitting radio transmissions, including, for example, the described signaling
messages and also any messages corresponding to the operation of uplink transmission
manager component 201. RF front end 223 may be connected to one or more antennas 221.
RF front end 223 may include, for example, one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs)
225, one or more switches 227, 229, 235, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 233, and
one or more filters 231 for transmitting and receiving RF signals. RF front end 223
is merely an example configuration; in an aspect, other configurations for RF front
end 223 may be used by UE 115. In an aspect, components of RF front end 223 may connect
with transceiver 237. Transceiver 237 may connect to one or more processor 241.
[0037] In an aspect, LNA 225 may amplify a received signal at a desired output level. In
an aspect, each LNA 225 may have a specified minimum and maximum gain values. In an
aspect, RF front end 223 may use one or more switches 227, 229 to select a particular
LNA 225 and its specified gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular
application.
[0038] Further, for example, one or more PA(s) 233 may be used by RF front end 223 to amplify
a signal for an RF output at a desired output power level. In an aspect, each PA 233
may have a specified minimum and maximum gain values. In an aspect, RF front end 223
may use one or more switches 229, 235 to select a particular PA 233 and its specified
gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular application.
[0039] Also, for example, one or more filters 231 may be used by RF front end 223 to filter
a received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in an aspect, for example,
a respective filter 231 may be used to filter an output from a respective PA 233 to
produce an output signal for transmission. In an aspect, each filter 231 may be connected
to a specific LNA 225 and/or PA 233. In an aspect, RF front end 223 may use one or
more switches 227, 229, 235 to select a transmit or receive path using a specified
filter 231, LNA 225, and/or PA 233, based on a configuration as specified by transceiver
237 and/or processor 241.
[0040] In an aspect, UE 115 may include one or more processors 241 that may operate in combination
with an uplink transmission manager component 201 for managing uplink transmissions
as described herein. In an aspect, uplink transmission manager component 201 may include
a grant receiver 202, a channel examiner 204, a data transmitter 206, a buffer manager
208, and a transmission determiner 210. In another aspect, buffer manager 208 may
be associated with one or more HARQ buffers 207. In an aspect, the one or more processors
241 may include a modem 243 that uses one or more modem processors. In another aspect,
the one or more processors 241 may be communicatively coupled to at least a memory
239, wherein the memory 239 may be configured to store instructions for handling uplink
transmission management.
[0041] Various functions related to uplink transmission manager component 201 may be included
in modem 243 and/or one or more processors 241 and, in an aspect, may be executed
by a single processor, while in other aspects, different ones of the functions may
be executed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in
an aspect, the one or more processors 241 may include any one or any combination of
a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmit
processor, or a transceiver processor associated with transceiver 237. In particular,
the one or more processors 241 may execute functions included in uplink transmission
manager component 201, including, but not limited to, a grant receiver 202, a channel
examiner 204, a data transmitter 206, a buffer manager 208, and a transmission determiner
210. In an aspect, buffer manager 208 may be associated with one or more HARQ buffers
207. In addition, some other aspects of the components of uplink transmission manager
component 201 are described in greater details in accordance with FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B,
FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, and FIG. 6.
[0042] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating example sub-components of the wireless communication
system for uplink transmission management. As depicted, transmission determiner 210
may determine which data to be transmitted on the uplink channel based on time duration
302 and granted size 304.
[0043] As referenced herein, time duration 302 may refer to a time period between two consecutive
explicit uplink grant. Granted size 304 may refer to a size limit indicating a maximum
size of data that may be transmitted on the uplink channel in response to an explicit
uplink grant. Other aspects of the sub-components of transmission determiner 210 are
described in greater details in accordance with FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B,
and FIG. 6.
[0044] FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of conventional operations regarding
uplink transmissions. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating another example of conventional
operations regarding uplink transmissions. For brevity, uplink transmissions are illustrated
to occur immediately subsequent to a succeeded channel check.
[0045] For FIG. 4A, a first issue is that the uplink data transmission is delayed due to
a failed channel check. As depicted in FIG. 4A, conventionally, when grant receiver
202 receives explicit uplink grant 401 at a time slot n, channel examiner 204 may
perform a channel check prior to transmitting the data. If the channel check fails,
e.g., shown as failed CCA 405, data transmitter 206 may not transmit the data on the
uplink channel, e.g., shown as blocked UL transmission 406, at time slot n+4 or any
other predetermined time slot. Thus, uplink transmission manager component 201 may
have to wait for another explicit uplink grant 212 from network entity 220 to transmit
the blocked data. For example, when grant receiver 202 receives another explicit uplink
grant 403 at time slot n+8, channel examiner 204 may perform another channel check
prior to transmitting the data. If the channel check succeeds, e.g., shown as succeeded
CCA 407, data transmitter 206 may transmit the data, shown as UL transmission 408,
at time slot n+12.
[0046] For FIG. 4B, a second issue is that the PDUs transmitted on the uplink channel may
be out of order. As depicted in FIG. 4B, conventionally, grant receiver 202 may similarly
receive an explicit uplink grant 413 associated with a first HARQ process from network
entity 220. Channel examiner 204 may also perform a channel check prior to transmitting
the data. If the channel check fails, shown as failed CCA 409, a MAC PDU may be blocked
from transmission, e.g., shown as blocked MAC PDU 410. Blocked MAC PDU 410 may be
temporarily stored by buffer manager 208 in a HARQ buffer associated with the first
HARQ process waiting to be transmitted in response to a further explicit uplink grant.
Meanwhile, grant receiver 202 may receive another explicit uplink grant 415 associated
with a second HARQ process. Channel examiner 204 may accordingly perform a channel
check prior to data transmission. If the channel check succeeds, e.g., shown as succeeded
CCA 411, data transmitter 206 may transmit MAC PDU 412 on the uplink channel. However,
the blocked MAC PDU 410 may be a PDU that should be transmitted prior to MAC PDU 412
in time and thus, network entity 220 may have to wait for blocked MAC PDU 410 to be
transmitted, even when MAC PDU 412 is successfully received, and re-order MAC PDU
412 and blocked MAC PDU 410.
[0047] FIG. 5A, is a diagram illustrating an example of operations of uplink transmission
management and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating another example of operations of
uplink transmission management.
[0048] FIG. 5A provides an example approach to address the first issue illustrated in FIG.
4A. As depicted in FIG. 5A, grant receiver 202 may receive an explicit uplink grant
501, together with one or more implicit uplink grants 503 included therein (shown
as two implicit uplink grants in FIG. 5A), at a time slot n. When a first channel
check fails at time slot n+3 (e.g., one of failed CCAs 502), rather than waiting for
another explicit uplink grant at time slot n+8, channel examiner 204 may perform one
or more additional channel checks at subsequent time slots. For example, channel examiner
204 may immediately perform the additional channel checks at subsequent time slots
n+4 and n+5. A count of the additional channel checks may equal the count of implicit
uplink grants 503. If one of the additional channel checks succeeds, data transmitter
206 may subsequently transmit the data on the uplink channel. For example, an additional
channel check may succeed at time slot n+5 (shown as succeeded CCA 504), data transmitter
206 may accordingly transmit the data on the uplink channel at time slot n+6 (shown
as UL transmission 506). As such, UE 115 may not have to wait till later time slots,
e.g., time slot n+12 as shown in FIG. 4A, to transmit the data and unnecessary delay
may be mitigated.
[0049] In an aspect, if grant receiver 202 receives another explicit uplink grant while
UE 115 is processing the implicit uplink grants, the explicit uplink grant may be
delayed after the implicit uplink grants are processed.
[0050] Further, each of the explicit or implicit uplink grants may expire after a predetermine
time duration.
[0051] FIG. 5B provides another example approach to address the first issue illustrated
in FIG. 4A. As depicted in FIG. 5B, grant receiver 202 may receive an explicit uplink
grant 508, together with one or more implicit uplink grants 509 included therein (shown
as two implicit uplink grants in FIG. 5B), at time slot n. Channel examiner 204 may
perform a channel check at time slot n+3, when the channel check succeeds (shown as
succeeded CCA 510), data transmitter 206 may respectively transmit multiple copies
of the data at subsequent time slots, e.g., time slots n+4, n+5, and n+6. Each copy
of the data may be a version of different redundancy, e.g., including different redundancy
information. The count of the copies may be determined based on the count of implicit
uplink grants 509 and the count of failed channel checks. For example, when grant
receiver 202 receives explicit uplink grant 508 and two implicit uplink grants 509
and a first channel check in time succeeds (e.g., succeeded CCA 510), data transmitter
206 may transmit three copies of the data, each in a time slot subsequent to succeeded
CCA 510. When the first channel check in time fails, channel examiner 204 may perform
a second channel check in a time slot subsequent to the first channel check. In some
examples, channel examiner 204 may perform a second channel check in a time slot immediately
subsequent to the first channel check If the second channel check succeeds, data transmitter
206 may only transmit two copies of the data on the uplink channel.
[0052] FIG. 6 provides an example approach to address the second issue in FIG. 4B. As depicted
in FIG. 6, grant receiver 202 may receive explicit uplink grant 602 at time slot n
via primary cell 402. Explicit uplink grant 602 may indicate that UE 115 is authorized
to transmit MAC PDU 606, MAC PDU 606 being associated with a first HARQ process. Channel
examiner 204 may perform a channel check at time slot n+3. If the channel check fails
(shown as failed CCA 610), MAC PDU may be blocked from being transmitted at time slot
n+4 and may be stored in a buffer associated with the first HARQ process, e.g., HARQ
buffer 620. Later in time, grant receiver 202 may receive, at time slot n+4, an explicit
uplink grant 604 indicating that UE 115 is authorized to transmit another MAC PDU
(not shown) being associated with a second HARQ process. Channel examiner 204 may
similarly perform a channel check at time slot n+7. If the channel check succeeds
(shown as succeeded CCA 608), transmission determiner 210 may determine whether to
transmit MAC PDU 606 based on one or more factors including time duration 302, i.e.,
the time period between receiving explicit uplink grant 602 and 604, and granted size
304, i.e., the maximum size of data may be transmitted in accordance with explicit
uplink grant 604. For example, if time duration 302 is greater than a predetermine
threshold, which indicates that UE 115 has sufficient time to perform operations to
retrieve MAC PDU 606, transmission determiner 210 may determine to transmit MAC PDU
606, rather than the other MAC PDU originally associated with the second HARQ process.
As another example, if granted size 304 is greater than the size of MAC PDU 606, transmission
determiner 210 may determine to transmit MAC PDU 606 and maybe a portion of the other
MAC PDU originally associated with the second HARQ process. As such, network entity
220 may receive PDUs in a correct order.
[0053] In some aspects, prior to transmitting MAC PDU 606, buffer manager 208 may move MAC
PDU 606 from a HARQ buffer associated with the first HARQ process, e.g., HARQ buffer
620, to another HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ process, e.g., HARQ buffer
622.
In another aspect, if MAC PDU 606 is successfully transmitted on the uplink channel,
the buffer that stored MAC PDU 606 at UE 115 may be cleared.
[0054] FIG. 7 is an example flowchart for uplink transmission management in an LAA system.
Method 700 is described below with reference to ones of UEs 115 described with reference
to FIGs. 1-3.
[0055] At 702, method 700 may include grant receiver 202 receiving an explicit uplink grant
that indicates one or more implicit uplink grants. For example, grant receiver 202
may receive an explicit uplink grant 501, together with one or more implicit uplink
grants 503 included therein (shown as two implicit uplink grants in FIG. 5A), at a
time slot n.
[0056] At 704, channel examiner 204 may perform a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in
response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. For example, channel examiner
204 may perform a channel check at time slot n+3.
[0057] At 706, uplink transmission manager component 201 of UE 115 may determine if the
first CCA succeeds.
In an aspect, when uplink transmission manager component 201 determines that the first
CCA succeeds, UE 115 may proceed to 708, and data transmitter 206 may transmit a PDU
over an unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the first time
slot. For example, if a channel check succeeds in time slot n+3, data transmitter
206 may immediately transmit the data in time slot n+4.
[0058] In another aspect, when uplink transmission manager component 201 determines that
the first CCA does not succeed, UE 115 may proceed to 710, and channel examiner 204
may sequentially perform one or more additional CCAs respectively in one or more time
slots subsequent to the first time slot in response to the one or more implicit uplink
grants. For example, when a first channel check fails at time slot n+3 (e.g., one
of failed CCAs 502), rather than waiting for another explicit uplink grant at time
slot n+8, channel examiner 204 may perform one or more additional channel checks at
time slots n+4 and n+5. A count of the additional channel checks may equal the count
of implicit uplink grants 503. If one of the additional channel checks succeeds, data
transmitter 206 may subsequently transmit the data on the uplink channel. For example,
an additional channel check may succeed at time slot n+5 (shown as succeeded CCA 504),
data transmitter 206 may accordingly transmit the data on the uplink channel at time
slot n+6 (shown as UL transmission 506). As such, UE 115 may not have to wait till
later time slots, e.g., time slot n+12, to transmit the data and unnecessary delay
may be mitigated.
[0059] In another aspect of FIG. 7, an example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions
in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus
includes means for receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit
uplink grants. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for performing a first
clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first
time slot. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for transmitting a protocol
data unit (PDU) over an unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent
to the first time slot if the first CCA succeeds. In an aspect, the apparatus may
also include means for sequentially performing, if the first CCA fails, one or more
additional CCAs respectively in one or more time slots subsequent to the first time
slot in response to the one or more implicit uplink grants. In another aspect, the
apparatus includes means for transmitting the PDU over the unlicensed or shared spectrum
and in a time slot subsequent to the time slot, if the first CCA fails, in which one
of the one or more additional CCAs succeeds.
[0060] In an aspect of FIG. 7, an example computer-readable medium storing computer executable
code for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is
provided. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable
code for receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit uplink
grants. In another aspect, the computer-readable medium also includes computer executable
code for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit
uplink grant in a first time slot. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes
computer executable code for transmitting a protocol data unit (PDU) over an unlicensed
or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot if the first
CCA succeeds. In another aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable
code for sequentially performing, if the first CCA fails, one or more additional CCAs
respectively in one or more time slots subsequent to the first time slot in response
to the one or more implicit uplink grants. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium
includes computer executable code for transmitting the PDU over the unlicensed or
shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the time slot in which one of the
one or more additional CCAs succeeds if the first CCA fails.
[0061] Still referring FIG. 7, another example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions
in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus
may include a memory configured to store instructions and at least one processor coupled
to the memory, the at least one processor and the memory are configured to execute
the instructions to perform the following features. In another aspect, the apparatus
may include a grant receiver configured to receive an explicit uplink grant that indicates
one or more implicit uplink grants. In an aspect, the apparatus may include a channel
examiner configured to perform a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response
to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In another aspect, the apparatus
may also include a data transmitter configured to transmit a protocol data unit (PDU)
over an unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the first time
slot if the first CCA succeeds. In an aspect, if the first CCA fails, the channel
examiner included in the apparatus may be configured to sequentially perform one or
more additional CCAs respectively in one or more time slots subsequent to the first
time slot in response to the one or more implicit uplink grants. In another aspect,
the data transmitter included in the apparatus may be further configured to transmit
the PDU over the unlicensed or shared spectrum and in a time slot subsequent to the
time slot in which one of the one or more additional CCAs succeeds.
[0062] FIG. 8 is another example flowchart for uplink transmission management in an LAA
system. Method 800 is described below with reference to ones of UEs 115 described
with reference to FIGs. 1-3.
[0063] At 802, method 800 may include grant receiver 202 receiving an explicit uplink grant
that indicates one or more implicit uplink grants. For example, grant receiver 202
may receive an explicit uplink grant 508, together with one or more implicit uplink
grants 509 included therein (shown as two implicit uplink grants in FIG. 5B), at a
time slot n.
[0064] At 804, method 800 may include channel examiner 204 performing a first clear channel
assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. For
example, channel examiner 204 may perform a channel check at time slot n+3.
[0065] At 806, uplink transmission manager component 201 of UE 115 may determine if the
first CCA succeeds.
In an aspect, when uplink transmission manager component 201 determines that the first
CCA succeeds, UE 115 may proceed to 808, data transmitter 206 may respectively transmit
over an unlicensed or shared spectrum copies of a protocol data unit (PDU) in time
slots subsequent to the first time slot, wherein a number of transmitted copies of
the PDU is based at least in part on the one or more implicit uplink grants. For example,
when the channel check succeeds (shown as succeeded CCA 510), data transmitter 206
may respectively transmit multiple copies of the data at subsequent time slots, e.g.,
time slots n+4, n+5, and n+6. Each copy of the data may be a version of different
redundancy, e.g., including different redundancy information. The count of the copies
may be determined based on the count of implicit uplink grants 509 and the count of
failed channel checks. For example, when grant receiver 202 receives explicit uplink
grant 508 and two implicit uplink grants 509 and a first channel check in time succeeds
(e.g., succeeded CCA 510), data transmitter 206 may transmit three copies of the data,
each in a time slot subsequent to succeeded CCA 510.
[0066] In another aspect, when uplink transmission manager component 201 determines that
the first CCA does not succeed, UE 115 may proceed to 810, and channel examiner 204
may perform an additional CCA subsequent to the first time slot and data transmitter
206 may respectively transmit the one or more copies of the PDU in one or more third
time slots subsequent to the additional CCA if the additional CCA succeeds. When the
first channel check in time fails, channel examiner 204 may perform a second channel
check in a time slot subsequent to the first channel check. If the second channel
check succeeds, data transmitter 206 may only transmit two copies of the data on the
uplink channel in time slots n+5 and n+6.
[0067] In another aspect of FIG. 8, an example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions
in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus
includes means for receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit
uplink grants. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for performing a first
clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit uplink grant in a first
time slot. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for respectively transmitting
over an unlicensed or shared spectrum copies of a protocol data unit (PDU), if the
first CCA succeeds, in time slots subsequent to the first time slot, wherein a number
of transmitted copies of the PDU is based at least in part on the one or more implicit
uplink grants. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for performing an additional
CCA in a time slot subsequent to the first time slot if the first CCA fails. In another
aspect, the apparatus includes means for respectively transmitting over the unlicensed
or shared spectrum one or more copies of the PDU in one or more time slots subsequent
to a time slot in which the additional CCA succeeds.
[0068] In an aspect of FIG. 8, an example computer-readable medium storing computer executable
code for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is
provided. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable
code for receiving an explicit uplink grant that indicates one or more implicit uplink
grants. In another aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable
code for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in response to the explicit
uplink grant in a first time slot. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes
computer executable code for respectively transmitting over an unlicensed or shared
spectrum copies of a protocol data unit (PDU), if the first CCA succeeds, in time
slots subsequent to the first time slot, wherein a number of transmitted copies of
the PDU is based at least in part on the one or more implicit uplink grants.
[0069] In another aspect, the above mentioned example computer-readable medium may also
include computer executable code for performing an additional CCA in a time slot subsequent
to the first time slot if the first CCA fails. In another aspect, the above mentioned
example computer-readable medium may include computer executable code for respectively
transmitting over the unlicensed or shared spectrum one or more copies of the PDU
in one or more time slots subsequent to a time slot in which the additional CCA succeeds.
[0070] FIG. 9 is an example flowchart for uplink transmission management in an LAA system.
Method 900 is described below with reference to ones of UEs 115 described with reference
to FIGs. 1-3.
[0071] At 902, method 900 may include grant receiver 202 receiving a first explicit uplink
grant for transmission of a first PDU associated with a first HARQ process. For example,
grant receiver 202 may receive explicit uplink grant 602 at time slot n via primary
cell 402. Explicit uplink grant 602 may indicate that UE 115 is authorized to transmit
MAC PDU 606, MAC PDU 606 being associated with a first HARQ process.
[0072] At 904, method 900 may include grant receiver 202 receiving a second explicit uplink
grant for transmission of a second PDU associated with a second HARQ process, the
second explicit uplink grant being received subsequent to the first explicit uplink
grant. For example, grant receiver 202 may receive, at time slot n+4, an explicit
uplink grant 604 indicating that UE 115 is authorized to transmit another MAC PDU
(not shown) being associated with a second HARQ process.
[0073] At 906, method 900 may include channel examiner 204 performing a first clear channel
assessment (CCA) in response to the first explicit uplink grant in a first time slot.
For example, channel examiner 204 may perform a channel check at time slot n+3.
[0074] At 908, method 900 may include channel examiner 204 performing a second CCA in response
to the second explicit uplink grant in a second time slot. For example, channel examiner
204 may similarly perform a channel check at time slot n+7.
[0075] At 910, method 900 may include transmission determiner 210 determining whether to
transmit over an unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU in
a time slot subsequent to the second time slot in association with the second HARQ
process if the first CCA fails and the second CCA succeeds. For example, with failed
CCA 610 and succeeded CCA 608, transmission determiner 210 may determine whether to
transmit MAC PDU 606 based on one or more factors including time duration 302, i.e.,
the time period between receiving explicit uplink grant 602 and 604, and granted size
304, i.e., the maximum size of data may be transmitted in accordance with explicit
uplink grant 604. For example, if time duration 302 is greater than a predetermine
threshold, which indicates that UE 115 has sufficient time to perform operations to
retrieve MAC PDU 606, transmission determiner 210 may determine to transmit MAC PDU
606, rather than the other MAC PDU originally associated with the second HARQ process.
As another example, if granted size 304 is greater than the size of MAC PDU 606, transmission
determiner 210 may determine to transmit MAC PDU 606 and maybe a portion of the other
MAC PDU originally associated with the second HARQ process. As such, network entity
220 may receive PDUs in a correct order.
[0076] In an aspect, prior to transmitting MAC PDU 606, buffer manager 208 may move MAC
PDU 606 from the buffer associated with the first HARQ process to another buffer associated
with the second HARQ process.
[0077] In another aspect of FIG. 9, an example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions
in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus
includes means for receiving a first explicit uplink grant for transmission of a first
protocol data unit (PDU) associated with a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ)
process. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for receiving a second explicit
uplink grant for transmission of a second PDU associated with a second HARQ process,
the second explicit uplink grant being received subsequent to the first explicit uplink
grant. In another aspect, the apparatus includes means for performing a first clear
channel assessment (CCA) in response to the first explicit uplink grant in a first
time slot. In an aspect, the apparatus also includes means for performing a second
CCA in response to the second explicit uplink grant in a second time slot. In another
aspect, the apparatus includes means for determining whether to transmit over an unlicensed
or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU, if the first CCA fails and the
second CCA succeeds, in a time slot subsequent to the second time slot in association
with the second HARQ process.
[0078] Still referring FIG. 9, in another aspect, the above mentioned example apparatus
may include means for storing the first PDU in a first HARQ buffer associated with
the first HARQ process. In an aspect, the above mentioned example apparatus may also
include means for moving the first PDU, in response to a determination being made
to transmit the first PDU in association with the second HARQ process, from the first
HARQ buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ process. In an
aspect, the above mentioned example apparatus may also include means for moving the
second PDU from a MAC buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ
process in response to a determination being made to transmit the second PDU in association
with the second HARQ process. In another aspect of the above mentioned example apparatus,
the means for determining whether to transmit over the unlicensed or shared spectrum
the first PDU or the second PDU is based at least in part on a difference in transmission
time and/or a difference in size between the first explicit grant and the second explicit
grant.
[0079] In an aspect of FIG. 9, an example computer-readable medium storing computer executable
code for managing uplink transmissions in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is
provided. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable
code for receiving a first explicit uplink grant for transmission of a first protocol
data unit (PDU) associated with a first Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process.
In another aspect, the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code
for receiving a second explicit uplink grant for transmission of a second PDU associated
with a second HARQ process, the second explicit uplink grant being received subsequent
to the first explicit uplink grant. In an aspect, the computer-readable medium includes
computer executable code for performing a first clear channel assessment (CCA) in
response to the first explicit uplink grant in a first time slot. In another aspect,
the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for performing a second
CCA in response to the second explicit uplink grant in a second time slot. In an aspect,
the computer-readable medium includes computer executable code for determining to
transmit over an unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU, if
the first CCA fails and the second CCA succeeds, in a time slot subsequent to the
second time slot in association with the second HARQ process.
[0080] Still referring FIG. 9, the above mentioned example computer-readable medium may,
in an aspect, include computer executable code for storing the first PDU in a first
HARQ buffer associated with the first HARQ process. In another aspect, the above mentioned
example computer-readable medium may include computer executable code for moving the
first PDU, in response to a determination being made to transmit the first PDU in
association with the second HARQ process, from the first HARQ buffer to a second HARQ
buffer associated with the second HARQ process. In an aspect, the above mentioned
example computer-readable medium may also include computer executable code for moving
the second PDU from a MAC buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second
HARQ process in response to a determination being made to transmit the second PDU
in association with the second HARQ process. In another aspect of the above example
computer-readable medium, the computer executable code for determining whether to
transmit over the unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU or the second PDU is
based at least in part on a difference in transmission time and/or a difference in
size between the first explicit grant and the second explicit grant.
[0081] In an aspect of FIG. 9, another example apparatus for managing uplink transmissions
in a license-assisted access (LAA) system is provided. In an aspect, the apparatus
may include a memory configured to store instructions and at least one processor coupled
to the memory, the at least one processor and the memory are configured to execute
the instructions to perform the following features. In another aspect, the apparatus
may include a grant receiver configured to receive a first explicit uplink grant for
transmission of a first protocol data unit (PDU)associated with a first Hybrid Automatic
Repeat Request (HARQ) process, and receive a second explicit uplink grant for transmission
of a second PDU associated with a second HARQ process, the second explicit uplink
grant being received subsequent to the first explicit uplink grant. In an aspect,
the apparatus may include a channel examiner configured to perform a first clear channel
assessment (CCA) in response to the first explicit uplink grant in a first time slot,
and perform a second CCA in response to the second explicit uplink grant in a second
time slot. In an aspect, the apparatus may include a transmission determiner configured
to determine whether to transmit over an unlicensed or shared spectrum the first PDU
or the second PDU in a time slot subsequent to the second time slot in association
with the second HARQ process if the first CCA fails and the second CCA succeeds.
[0082] Still referring FIG. 9, in an aspect, the above example apparatus may further include
a buffer manager configured to store the first PDU in a first HARQ buffer associated
with the first HARQ process; and in response to a determination being made to transmit
the first PDU in association with the second HARQ process, move the first PDU from
the first HARQ buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second HARQ. In
another aspect, the buffer manager of the apparatus is further configured to move
the second PDU from a MAC buffer to a second HARQ buffer associated with the second
HARQ process in response to a determination being made to transmit the second PDU
in association with the second HARQ process. In an aspect, the transmission determiner
of the apparatus is configured to determine whether to transmit the first PDU or the
second PDU based at least in part on a difference in transmission time and/or a difference
in size between the first explicit grant and the second explicit grant.
[0083] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an
apparatus employing a processing system. In some examples, the processing system 1014
may be an example of a UE 115 or a network entity 220 described with reference to
FIGs. 1-3. In this example, the processing system 1014 may be implemented with a bus
architecture, represented generally by the bus 1002. The bus 1002 may include any
number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application
of the processing system 1014 and the overall design constraints. The bus 1002 links
together various circuits including one or more processors, represented generally
by the processor 1004, computer-readable media, represented generally by the computer-readable
medium 1006, uplink transmission manager component 201, or uplink grant manager component
211 (
see FIG. 2A), which may be configured to carry out one or more methods or procedures
described herein.
[0084] In some instances, the communication management component 305 may be implemented
when processing system 1014 is used in a UE 115 or network entity 220. In an aspect,
uplink transmission manager component 201 and the components therein may comprise
hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software that may be configured
to perform the functions, methodologies (
e.g., method 400 of FIG. 4), or methods presented in the present disclosure. Uplink grant
manager component 211 and the components therein may comprise hardware, software,
or a combination of hardware and software that may be configured to perform the functions,
methodologies (
e.g., method 500 of FIG. 5), or methods presented in the present disclosure.
[0085] The bus 1002 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals,
voltage regulators and power management circuits, which are well known in the art,
and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface 1008 provides an
interface between the bus 1002 and a transceiver 1010. The transceiver 1010 provides
a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium.
Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface 1012 (e.g., keypad, display,
speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.
[0086] The processor 1004 is responsible for managing the bus 1002 and general processing,
including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 1006. The
software, when executed by the processor 1004, causes the processing system 1014 to
perform the various functions described infra for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable
medium 1006 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor
1004 when executing software. In some aspects, at least a portion of the functions,
methodologies, or methods associated with the uplink transmission manager component
201 or uplink grant manager component 211 may be performed or implemented by the processor
1004 and/or the computer-readable medium 1006.
[0087] In some examples, the computer-readable medium 1006 may store code for wireless communications.
The code may comprise instructions executable by a computer (e.g., processor 1004)
for monitoring one or more wireless channels for one or more trigger conditions, for
transmitting a probe signal over a first wireless channel of the one or more wireless
channels to access a network entity when the one or more trigger conditions are met
on the first wireless channel, wherein properties of the probe signal are based at
least on a type of access with the network entity; and for receiving a response signal
from the network entity in response to the probe signal, the response signal including
information to enable access by the first wireless device.
[0088] Referring to FIG. 11, a Node B 1110 is in communication with a UE 1150 and having
aspects configured to manage cell update messages. In an aspect, the Node B 1110 may
be an example of a network entity 220 associated with core network 130 of FIGs. 2A
and 2B, executing uplink grant manager component 211. In an aspect, the UE 1150 may
be an example of UE 115 of FIGs. 1, 2A, and 2C, executing uplink transmission manager
component 201. In the downlink communication, a transmit processor 1120 may receive
data from a data source 1112 and control signals from a controller/processor 1140.
The transmit processor 1120 provides various signal processing functions for the data
and control signals, as well as reference signals (e.g., pilot signals). For example,
the transmit processor 1120 may provide cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codes for error
detection, coding and interleaving to facilitate forward error correction (FEC), mapping
to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift
keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK),
M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM), and the like), spreading with orthogonal
variable spreading factors (OVSF), and multiplying with scrambling codes to produce
a series of symbols. Channel estimates from a channel processor 1144 may be used by
a controller/processor 1140 to determine the coding, modulation, spreading, and/or
scrambling schemes for the transmit processor 1120. These channel estimates may be
derived from a reference signal transmitted by the UE 1150 or from feedback from the
UE 1150. The symbols generated by the transmit processor 1120 are provided to a transmit
frame processor 1130 to create a frame structure. The transmit frame processor 1130
creates this frame structure by multiplexing the symbols with information from the
controller/processor 1140, resulting in a series of frames. The frames are then provided
to a transmitter 1132, which provides various signal conditioning functions including
amplifying, filtering, and modulating the frames onto a carrier for downlink transmission
over the wireless medium through antenna 1134. The antenna 1134 may include one or
more antennas, for example, including beam steering bidirectional adaptive antenna
arrays or other similar beam technologies.
[0089] At the UE 1150, a receiver 1154 receives the downlink transmission through an antenna
1152 and processes the transmission to recover the information modulated onto the
carrier. The information recovered by the receiver 1154 is provided to a receive frame
processor 1160, which parses each frame, and provides information from the frames
to a channel processor 1194 and the data, control, and reference signals to a receive
processor 1170. The receive processor 1170 then performs the inverse of the processing
performed by the transmit processor 1120 in the Node B 1110. More specifically, the
receive processor 1170 descrambles and dispreads the symbols, and then determines
the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the Node B 1110 based on
the modulation scheme. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed
by the channel processor 1194. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved
to recover the data, control, and reference signals. The CRC codes are then checked
to determine whether the frames were successfully decoded. The data carried by the
successfully decoded frames will then be provided to a data sink 1172, which represents
applications running in the UE 1150 and/or various user interfaces (e.g., display).
Control signals carried by successfully decoded frames will be provided to a controller/processor
1190. When frames are unsuccessfully decoded by the receive processor 1170, the controller/processor
1190 may also use an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK)
protocol to support retransmission requests for those frames.
[0090] In the uplink channel, data from a data source 1178 and control signals from the
controller/processor 1190 are provided to a transmit processor 1180. The data source
1178 may represent applications running in the UE 1150 and various user interfaces
(e.g., keyboard). Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink
transmission by the Node B 1110, the transmit processor 1180 provides various signal
processing functions including CRC codes, coding and interleaving to facilitate FEC,
mapping to signal constellations, spreading with OVSFs, and scrambling to produce
a series of symbols. Channel estimates, derived by the channel processor 1194 from
a reference signal transmitted by the Node B 1110 or from feedback contained in the
midamble transmitted by the Node B 1110, may be used to select the appropriate coding,
modulation, spreading, and/or scrambling schemes. The symbols produced by the transmit
processor 1180 will be provided to a transmit frame processor 1182 to create a frame
structure. The transmit frame processor 1182 creates this frame structure by multiplexing
the symbols with information from the controller/processor 1190, resulting in a series
of frames. The frames are then provided to a transmitter 1156, which provides various
signal conditioning functions including amplification, filtering, and modulating the
frames onto a carrier for uplink transmission over the wireless medium through the
antenna 1152.
[0091] The uplink transmission is processed at the Node B 1110 in a manner similar to that
described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 1150. A receiver 1135
receives the uplink transmission through the antenna 1134 and processes the transmission
to recover the information modulated onto the carrier. The information recovered by
the receiver 1135 is provided to a receive frame processor 1136, which parses each
frame, and provides information from the frames to the channel processor 1144 and
the data, control, and reference signals to a receive processor 1138. The receive
processor 1138 performs the inverse of the processing performed by the transmit processor
1180 in the UE 1150. The data and control signals carried by the successfully decoded
frames may then be provided to a data sink 1139 and the controller/processor, respectively.
If some of the frames were unsuccessfully decoded by the receive processor, the controller/processor
1140 may also use an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK)
protocol to support retransmission requests for those frames.
[0092] The controller/processors 1140 and 1190 may be used to direct the operation at the
Node B 1110 and the UE 1150, respectively. For example, the controller/processors
1140 and 1190 may provide various functions including timing, peripheral interfaces,
voltage regulation, power management, transmission management, and other control functions.
The computer readable media of memories 1142 and 1192 may store data and software
for the Node B 1110 and the UE 1150, respectively. A scheduler/processor 1146 at the
Node B 1110 may be used to allocate resources to the UEs and schedule downlink and/or
uplink transmissions for the UEs. In an aspect, uplink grant manager component 211
may communicate with the controller/processors 1140 at the Node B 1110 for managing
uplink grants, and uplink transmission manager component 201 may communicate with
the controller/processors 1190 at the UE 1150 for managing uplink transmissions.
[0093] The detailed description set forth above in connection with the appended drawings
describes example embodiments and does not represent all the embodiments that may
be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary," as
used in this description, means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration,"
and not "preferred" or "advantageous over other embodiments." The detailed description
includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described
techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details.
In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form
in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described embodiments.
[0094] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies
and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits,
symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be
represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,
optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
[0095] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure
herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital
signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete
gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof
designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may
be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional
processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be
implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and
a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction
with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).
[0096] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed
by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed
by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more
instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations
are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the
nature of software, functions described above may be implemented using software executed
by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features
implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including
being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical
locations. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, "or "as used in a list of
items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as "at least one of'
or "one or more of') indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of
at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and
B and C).
[0097] Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media
including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place
to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a
general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation,
computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable
read only memory (EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic
disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used
to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures
and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose
or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable
medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other
remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber
line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then
the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies
such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk
and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile
disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically,
while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also
included within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0098] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable a person skilled
in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure
will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined
herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the
disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not to be limited to the examples and designs
described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles
and novel features disclosed herein.
[0099] Techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communications systems
such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA),
frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple
access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other
systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system
may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access
(UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Releases
0 and A are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is commonly
referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes
Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system may implement a radio
technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system
may implement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA
(E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc.
UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications system (UMTS). 3GPP
Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) are new releases of Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS) that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A,
and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) are described in documents from
an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB
are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership
Project 2" (3GPP2). The techniques described herein may be used for the systems and
radio technologies mentioned above as well as other systems and radio technologies.
The description above, however, describes an LTE system for purposes of example, and
LTE terminology is used in much of the description above, although the techniques
are applicable beyond LTE applications.